The Darkness can scare even the bravest of being
by Legolas Lover 159
Summary: Legolas is scared of the dark. he has been since he was a child. But is it really the dark? with nightmares, voices and horrible flashbacks, Legolas and Aragorn fight through this dilemma facing a much more horrible foe than the darkness. Aragorn woke to the startling screams of Legolas...It was another nightmare...


Story line broadened from _part of _Let me be the one by LOTRFaith on / the first 8 or so chapters maybe….

This story is about Legolas's fictional childhood fear of the dark, I decided to rewrite the small excerpt in the story where Legolas and his friend fall down into a cave, and make it into a whole story. This will be one post, because I am very new to this and I do not know how to make it in chapters… J oh well… let us get started…

Aragorn woke to the startling screams of Legolas. He bolted out of bed and ran to his best friend and constant companion's room. Legolas was drenched in sweat and screaming in fear. It was another nightmare.

"Legolas. Legolas! LEGOLAS‼ WAKE UP‼" Aragorn yelled shaking his friend in horror. To no avail, Aragorn grabbed a cup of water and threw it in Legolas's face. Legolas jolted awake. He started gasping for air, unable to catch his breath. Aragorn rubbed him on the back until his breathing returned to normal.

"Legolas, please tell me what the dream was about." Aragorn pleaded. This was the third time this week Legolas had woken up the household with his screams. Legolas shook his head, pretending not to remember. Legolas glanced around Aragorn noticing Elrond, Elladen, and Elrohir staring at him. Elrond walked over to the bed.

"Legolas please tell us what the matter is. These nightmares must stop!" Elrond commanded.

"I can't remember." Legolas lied, glancing away for just a second, long enough for Aragorn to notice. Aragorn made a mental note to come back later and question his friend. Slowly everyone left the room going back to their well-needed sleep. Aragorn stayed, waiting until he heard the three doors down the hall

"Legolas, what is bothering you?" Aragorn asked.

"It's nothing." Legolas replied not looking at Aragorn.

"Something must be bothering you! You do not normally wake up in the middle of the night screaming! I've not gotten enough sleep for almost three weeks!" Aragorn said probingly trying to get Legolas to tell.

"I am fine! Go back to sleep." Legolas said quickly shoving Aragorn off the corner of his bed, glaring at him.

"Fine! I'm here when you're ready to talk." Aragorn said leaving the room and blowing out the candle. As he was blowing out the candle, he heard a faint whimper coming from Legolas. He glanced back at Legolas who was staring off into the distance.

"Elves…" he muttered to himself, as he left the room. Aragorn climbed back into bed and fell asleep. A couple hours later, he heard something coming from Legolas's room. Quickly he got up and quietly eased himself into the room. Legolas was shaking his head from side to side… kind of talking in his sleep gradually getting louder.

"Leave me alone…Leave me alone. No. No. NO‼ LEAVE ME ALONE NO NO‼ LET ME OUT OF HERE! NOOOOOOOO‼" he started screaming again. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO‼LEAVE ME A-LO- AAAAAAAAAAAAA!" a high pitched scream stopped his yelling as he started thrashing wildly back and forth on the bed his eyes rolling into the back of his head with fear, trying to escape whatever was chasing him. Aragorn could not stand watching it any longer and tried his best to wake him up, shaking him and calling his name. Finally, Legolas awoke and just sat there clinging to Aragorn sobbing with fear.

"Hush…..hush…." Aragorn soothed Legolas rubbing him on the back. He tried in vain to stop the sobs that were generating from the elf's body. Legolas's chest rose and fell with irregular gasping breaths as he tried to catch his breath. Choking on his saliva, he started coughing which only intensified the sobs. Aragorn was heartbroken by what he had just witnessed, never before had he seen his friend that scared. Finally, the sobs stopped and Legolas breathing became normal. Slowly his eyes glazed over and he fell back into a more peaceful sleep. Aragorn decided to stay with him for the rest of the night, pulling over a chair by his bedside.

The next morning at breakfast no one spoke. Not wanting to talk of what had happened last night. After breakfast, Legolas walked out into the garden, remembering the dream he had last night.

_#his remembered dream_

_He was walking down a long black corridor made of stone, there was a dripping sound coming from all around him. He could not see so all he could do was feel his way down the corridor hopping not to cut his hands on the rocks. Then he heard it a soft voice calling to him… "Legolas…. Legolas… I will find you Legolas...," the voice said softly but still in a frightening tone… "Leave me alone…." Legolas said trying to block out the sound… "Oh Legolas when will you ever learn… I will not ever leave you alone for I am the-"the voice stopped not telling him what it was… "Just leave me alone!" he commanded. Suddenly the voice creature brushed past him… sending a cold chill down his back… the voice laughed menacingly…. "I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU ALONE‼‼," the voice screamed shaking the walls of the corridor… Legolas started running…. "No No‼! " Legolas screamed running away. "You know you can't out run me…. The voice said right next to him… the walls of the corridor started to change until Legolas was confined into a box… then a rope ladder appeared…. It continued up the box and out of sight. Legolas grabbed it and started to climb… as he climbed the voice laughed to its self and waited until Legolas was about seven feet in the air before grabbing his leg. "LET ME OUT OF HERE‼!" Legolas screamed trying to shake the endless grip on his leg… "NO‼‼" he screamed as the being started to pull him down… the ground had turned into a black swirling liquid that looked like it would swallow him…. "LEAVE ME ALO- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA‼‼!" he screamed as the creature pulled him from the ladder… he grabbed the ladder and tried to hold on with all his might… to no avail… the creature pulled him down his screams were muffled by the dark liquid that morphed into fabric as he woke up…._

_# End dream_

Legolas, curled in a ball quivering with fear, on a garden border rocking back and forth was quietly crying. He tried to rid his mind of the horrible dream. Aragorn found him.

"Legolas!" Aragorn cried when he saw his friend in his present state. Aragorn knelt next to him and stared into his horror stricken eyes.

"Legolas tell me what is going on‼!" he demanded but Legolas realizing what was happening, jumped up, and ran from the garden. He had to get away. He had to leave, had to get away from the horrible dream. He grabbed his bow and arrow and his two knives ran out of the gates of Rivendell, crashed through the river, and ran into the forest. Aragorn grabbed his sword and followed him out of Rivendell.

"Legolas‼" Aragorn screamed over and over walking through the forest that suddenly, he tripped on something. "Aaaaaaugh‼" Aragorn screamed as he fell into a deep pit.….

Once he regained his senses and adjusted to the darkness. Still not able to see but with his fingers he searched on the ground for his sword. Before finding his sword, he came across a smaller dagger. He picked it up and ran his hand up and down the hilt. It was one of Legolas's swords. _"Oh no…."_ he thought to himself. Legolas had fallen down into the pit too. However, no it was not a pit. It was a cave. A tunnel jutted off to his right and once locating his sword, he followed the tunnel. He found a spare match in his pocket and lit it. Hopping there was no wind in the tunnel. He walked down the path. He noticed the dripping sound. There was definitely a stream or lake in here. Then he heard it. A faint whimper was coming from down the tunnel. He followed the sound and as he drew closer, it got louder. He accidentally kicked a stone across the ground. Legolas yelped in fear.

"Who-whose-th-th-there?" he asked terrified.

"Legolas?" Aragorn asked not coming around the corner yet for fear it was not him.

"H-ho-ow- d-do y-y-ou-u know m-my name?" Legolas asked warily.

"Legolas it's me Aragorn." Aragorn said coming around the corner. What he saw terrified him. Legolas, curled in a fetal position on the floor, looked almost deathly white. A wound on his arm bleeding and his ankle looked like it was broken… all twisted out of shape. There were tear streaks clearing paths in the dirt on his face. In addition, his eyes were all red and puffy. The wound on his arm, bound with part of his shirt was still bleeding. Just then, the match went out. Legolas screamed a horrible blood-curling scream… and started to sob and yell.

"Noooooooooooooooo‼! Leave me alone‼‼ LET ME OUT!‼ ADA‼‼NANA‼‼ HELP‼‼‼‼‼ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA‼‼‼!" he screamed clawing at the wall trying to get out. He started sobbing so strongly that Aragorn was afraid he would die of suffocation. Finally, after many failed attempts Aragorn was able to relight the match. Nevertheless, Legolas continued to scream and sob. Aragorn pulled him into a tight embrace being careful of his arm, and rocked him back and forth rubbing his back trying to calm him. Legolas was shaking all over. Aragorn felt his heart beat. It was beating so fast. The sobs quickly turned into gasping cries, as Legolas struggled to breath. Aragorn rubbed him on the back and tried to calm him down, speaking softly in elfish. *translation* "Hush… be quiet… nothing is going to hurt you hush now hush… shhhhhh." Slowly Legolas stopped gasping and was able to fill his lungs with the much-needed air.

Quietly Aragorn dreadfully asked the question. "Are you afraid of the dark Legolas?" he asked unsure of what the outcome would be.

"No… it's the voices in the dark. They want to get me and pull me into their swirling abyss." Legolas said more sobs threatening to come.

"What voices?" Aragorn asked.

"The voices of the dead…." His voice trailed off and his body started to shake. More horrific sobs protruded from his body. He shook in fright. Just then, the match burned down to Aragorn's fingertips. Aragorn jerked back, from the burn and the match went out. Legolas tried to scream but Aragorn instinctively put his head over Legolas's mouth, stifling the scream. He did not want to hear another one of those blood curling screams… Immediately he realized that was a bad idea. As Legolas continued to scream through his hand frantically trying to remove the hand and get away. Legolas bit Aragon's hand and was able to get out of his grasp. He scrambled back to the wall. Where even in the dark Aragon could tell he was staring at him with the fear of a child in his eyes. There was no reasoning with him now. Aragon found another match and amazingly a candle in his bag. He lit the candle and held it seeing Legolas curled in a ball against the wall shaking and rocking back and forth while staring at Aragorn with a fear in his eyes that Aragorn had never seen before. Aragorn came closer and Legolas tried to move away. He realized that he was trapped in a corner. He let out a scream. Aragorn covered his ears. Then remembering how he had woken his friend from a dream before with water. He took out his canteen. He opened it, outstretched his arm, and poured the cool water on Legolas's head. Legolas's normal glow to his eyes slowly returned. A flashback of the past hour or so played though his head. He realized how inhumane he had been acting.

"I'm sorry….." he said quietly not daring to look at Aragorn.

"It's alright." Aragorn replied. Smiling at Legolas. Legolas realizing the pain in his ankle let out a soft moan.

"What?" Aragorn asked concern flooding his eyes.

"My ankle… I think it's broken." Legolas said looking at his ankle.

"Do you have enough energy to get out of here?" Aragorn asked.

Yes. I'll do anything to get out of this horrible place!" Legolas responded. Fear making its way back into his eyes. Aragorn grabbed him and hugged him. He tried g to keep away the fear that was slowly retaking over Legolas.

"Please, Legolas, be strong! I don't think I can bare much more of this agony you are going through." Aragorn pleaded. Legolas whimpered a bit but kept his sanity. Still his senses were extremely alert. Moreover, any sound would possibly send him back into his frenzy. Aragorn helped him up. Putting Legolas's arm around his shoulder, he tried to keep all weight off Legolas's broken ankle. They slowly walked down the tunnel and rounding a corner saw light up ahead.

"Come on Legolas! We're almost out!" Aragorn said joyfully. After what seemed like an eternity, they made it out into the bright sunlight. They both squinted to be able to see. They were not far from Rivendell. As they slowly made their way towards the gates… a couple of guards ran out to meet them, and helped carry Legolas inside. Once Elrond saw, the guard bringing them inside, he ran down.

*sigh* "What happened this time…." All to used to them coming back from adventures hurt in some way. "Well Legolas fell down a pit and then I fell down after him. He broke his ankle and cut his arm. I don't think I broke anything." Aragorn laughed then with a cry doubled over in pain, falling to the ground.

(Too bad, I do not know how to make chapters yet this would be an awesome cliffhanger…. J )

Legolas stared at his best friend. Trying to figure out why Aragorn had fallen to the ground in pain. Elrond had the guards help Legolas inside and carefully carry Aragorn inside. He stopped by the herb closet to get his medicine. Elrond began the normal task of saving his adopted son and the prince's lives as he had done numerous times…

First having Elladen and Elrohir tend to Legolas, he proceeded to his son's side to figure out what was wrong and then heal him. He pressed on his son's ribs and even in his unconsciousness, his son let out a very pained moan.

"Aragorn?" Legolas cried lifting himself up out of the bed to look at his best friend, concern creasing his brow and showing in his eyes. Elrohir lightly shoved him back down on the bed so his brother could stitch the wound on his arm. Legolas bit his lip as the needle moved along through the cut sewing his arm back together. Then the brothers moved to his ankle. Elladen picked up a pillow and handed it to Legolas. Legolas gave him a puzzled look tilting his head to one side. Then feeling Elladen grip his ankle he realized what his brother was doing. He put the pillow over his face and screamed into it as his brother twisted the ankle bones effortlessly back into place. Then having Elrohir hand him the splint, Elladen wrapped his ankle and tied the splint on.

Elrond, noting how much pain his son was in, suspected a few broken ribs. Luckily none of which were protruding his lungs. Unlike Legolas who seemed to always, have a rib stabbed in his lungs. He began to work, carefully easing the ribs back up into their normal position, and then using an herb, jump-starting their healing. Just then, Aragorn woke up; he immediately turned his head off the bed and tried to throw up. The only thing that came up was stomach acid. After a bit of dry heaving, he flipped back over onto his back. He curled into a fetal position holding his stomach. He let out a couple of cries. Legolas immediately heard him, jumped out of bed, and tried to hop on one foot to get to his friend. Not succeeding he fell to the floor. Nevertheless, not giving up he crawled on his knees towards his friend. Once he got there, he dragged a chair over and plopped down in it exhausted.

"You really shouldn't have done that." Elrond reprimanded him.

"Aragon is in pain. I have to be here for him." Legolas replied a look of concern in his eyes. Aragorn let out excruciating cry, holding his stomach and shivering uncontrollably. Legolas put a hand on his leg, trying to do something to ease his friend's pain. Legolas absentmindedly put a hand to Aragorn's forehead. He recoiled back his hand almost being burned by Aragorn's temperature.

"Elrond‼‼ ELROND‼‼" he screamed, bringing Elrond running back from his herb closet.

"He's burning up‼ Legolas said. A worried look on his face. Elrond put his hand on Aragorn's forehead. He stepped back shocked realizing his horrible mistake. It was not the ribs that were Aragorn's problem it was his stomach. He lightly pressed on his son's stomach. Aragorn screamed in pain. His stomach was hard and inflamed to the touch. His stomach had been pierced by a small piece of the lowest rib. Now it had quickly become infected and was probably about to leak the toxic acid all throughout his son's body. Legolas watched as his best friend's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he shook all over with pain. A couple of tears streamed down Legolas's face. He brushed them away. Elrond stripped Aragorn down to just undergarments, had Elladen go fill a bucket with ice water, and bring tons of clean rags. He hadn't much time. He had to work fast to remove the piece of bone and stitch up the human's stomach before the acid leaked. Unable to give him anything for the pain, He handed Legolas Aragorn's hand, which Legolas grasped and looked into Aragorn's white backs of his eyes. He watched as Elrond carefully but quickly cut open the skin around the stomach. Finding the piece of bone, he carefully removed it. Aragorn let out a horrible scream and almost broke Legolas's hand. Now came the stitching. Elrond used a special kind of thread that would dissolve when the body was fully healed. He carefully stitched the cut both directions stopping all acid from getting outside the hole. Then closing the skin around the stomach he stitched back up the skin with the same thread. Not wanting Aragorn to lose any more blood by changing the thread, He then then put the special herb on all the cuts to stop the bleeding. Then giving Aragorn a strong sleeping potion he lowered his pain stricken tired son into the bed. Legolas moved the chair up to the bed and fell asleep. Elrond made a mental note that luckily Legolas slept with his eyes open so he was not internally injured. After a couple of hours Legolas started to scream muffled by a pillow but loud enough for Aragorn to hear. He shifted so he could comfort Legolas.

"Leave me alone Leave me alone‼‼ Nooooooo‼! Elrond came back into the room and hearing the muffled screaming… he went to check on the prince… _"It was another nightmare. When would these stop?" _he wondered to himself. He woke Legolas up and quietly soothed him. Slowly the prince fell back asleep. Aragorn not fully conscious still rubbed Legolas's back warding off the nightmares. The next few days both the elf and the human regained their strength as their wounds began to heal. However, Legolas was not healing as quickly as Aragorn and Aragorn's wounds were much more severe than his were. Aragorn was up and walking around by the end of the week. However, Legolas stayed in bed plagued by his horrible nightmares and his condition slowly deteriorating. The dreams were starting to take over Legolas's whole mind. Whenever he was, alone the dreams would come. He was now spending all of his days curled up in a ball rocking back and forth in the windowsill in his room. Every so often Aragorn would come in and sit with him and some of the fear would go away. Still it plagued his every thought. He did not eat, and he did not talk. The only movement he did was moving from his bed to the windowsill in the morning and back to the bed at night. He hardly got any sleep now. His sleep was distraught by the dreams. As were his days. Elrond had tried every sleeping potion possible but nothing suppressed the dreams. Finally, in despair Elrond sent word to the prince's father that he needed to come to Rivendell quickly. Four days later, his ada arrived. He ran into the room to find his son curled in a ball crying and screaming. Thranduil grabbed his son in an eternal embrace tears streaming down his face as he tried to calm his youngest son. To no avail, his called for his eldest daughter Loriel who was like a mother to Legolas. She came in, and in a matter of minutes was able to subdue the dreams and get him to eat and drink.

"How does she do that?" Aragorn asked wonder filling his voice.

"She has been like a mother to Legolas since Naneth died. He trusts her." Thranduil replied solemnly. A tear glistened in his eye. For even after all these years he still missed his wife tremendously. Aragorn's attention turned towards the window, looking down at the gates.

"Gandalf? Gandalf‼!" He yelled excitedly as he ran down to meet him. Gandalf was talking to Elrond.

"Why hello again Aragorn." Gandalf said with a chuckle. Both Aragorn and Elrond led him to Legolas. Gandalf walked in let out a small gasp and then quickly exited catching his breath. Thranduil looked at Gandalf in surprise.

"Is my son alright?" Thranduil asked a pleading expression in his eyes.

"I wish you had got me sooner." Gandalf said gravely. "Your son I am afraid is possessed by an evil spirit. I will try my best to get it to flee from his body." Gandalf said placing a comforting hand on the heart wrenched elf distraught covering his face. Gandalf shoed Loriel out and went in closing the door behind him. Aragorn to curious for his own good opened the door slightly not as to be seen but just enough to see Gandalf raising Legolas into the air, his beautiful blond flowing hair hanging down and touching the bed. Legolas's eyes were closed and Gandalf was chanting in some kind of random tongue. Then the room started to glow. Aragorn's eyes filled with horror as he watched and heard Gandalf speak to the creature and through Legolas's mouth around five different voices sounded.

"We are the fear chasers. Our purpose is to take a small childhood fear and turn it into food for us to live on. We travel from person to person igniting the worst fear they ever had as a child and using it for our power." The voice was very subduing and Aragorn felt himself wanting more of the horrible yet soothing voice. Elrond happened to walk past at that moment just as Aragorn's eyes were rolling into the back of his head. The spirit sensed his new target. Elrond somehow stopped the spirit from jumping bodies, and quietly led Aragorn away from his friend. He did not need two spiritually possessed princes on his hand. He then heard a wailing sound coming from Legolas's room but it was five different voices.

"That's the spirit…" Aragorn said mysteriously. Elrond looked at him.

"Son snap out of it. You do not want to be subdued by that creature." Elrond said slapping his son across the face.

"OWWWWW" Aragorn said holding his cheek.

"That's better." Elrond said looking lovingly at his son.

"Spirits be gone‼‼‼‼!" Gandalf's voice echoed through Rivendell. There was a final scream by the spirits then Legolas's cries. Thranduil rushed upstairs followed by Aragorn, Loriel, Elrond, and the twins. (Did not mention this before Elladen and Elrohir are twins… oops left out that detail…)

Legolas was lying on the bed face down fully stretched out *not curled in a ball anymore* sobbing.

"Oh… everyone I am so sorry….." he said through his sobs "I have terrified all of you and caused more grief than is possible to bear." He sobbed harder. His father and sister hugged him and then Aragorn hugged him. The two best friends sat there both crying now for Aragorn had been bottling it all up inside of himself for a while. Elrond tried to pull them apart but found it was useless. Everyone left the room.

"Can you tell me now what the dreams were like exactly?" Aragorn asked.

The elf moved his eyes around trying to search his memory. "I can't remember them at all now. I guess Gandalf got rid of it." He laughed.

"That's the first time I've heard you laugh for about a month!" Aragorn laughed back.

"What was I like the past month? I don't remember how I acted."

"Well mostly you sat in your windowsill screamed cried and you would not talk or eat. It really was quite scary watching you slowly drift out of this life." A tear rolled down Aragorn's cheek. Legolas wiped it away.

"Thank you for staying with me throughout it all mellon nin (my friend)."

"What are friends for?" Aragorn asked then answering his own question "To help their friends in a time of need." He smiled at Legolas.

The End


End file.
